Your Best Just Got Better
Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More
Book Edition Details
Summary
What if you could amplify your potential a little more each day? In "Your Best Just Got Better," Jason Womack dismantles the myth that more hours equate to more productivity. Instead, he offers a blueprint for transforming your work life with precision and clarity. Womack’s methods are all about harnessing strategic habits and cultivating a proactive mindset to achieve consistent, incremental improvements. This book equips you with cutting-edge techniques to streamline your workflow, maximize efficiency, and reduce stress—all while using fewer resources. It’s not an overnight miracle, but a steady, empowering journey toward mastering your goals. Discover how to identify energy-draining habits and replace them with the drive to elevate your professional game. Whether you’re striving for a smoother workday or aiming for long-term career success, this guide reveals the art of making your best even better.
Introduction
Have you ever felt like you're working harder than ever but somehow falling further behind? Like you're spinning your wheels in an endless cycle of meetings, emails, and urgent tasks that never seem to move the needle forward? You're not alone. In today's hyper-connected world, the challenge isn't finding more time or working longer hours – it's about fundamentally transforming how you approach work and life. The key lies in understanding that small, deliberate improvements can create extraordinary results when applied consistently. This isn't about perfection; it's about progress. It's about taking your current best effort and systematically elevating it to new heights. Whether you're a seasoned executive, an ambitious entrepreneur, or someone simply seeking more fulfillment in your daily work, the principles ahead will help you break through the barriers that have been holding you back and unlock levels of performance you didn't know were possible.
Work Smarter: Master Your Time and Energy
Working smarter begins with a fundamental shift in perspective – moving from reactive mode to intentional design. At its core, this means creating systems and habits that amplify your natural strengths while minimizing energy drain on activities that don't move you forward. The story of Jason's client in Philadelphia perfectly illustrates this transformation. This executive felt completely overwhelmed, constantly behind despite working twelve-hour days. When Jason arrived for their coaching session, he presented her with a ream of 500 blank pages and asked her to write down one thing she was thinking about on each page. What happened next was remarkable – it took her four hours to fill all 500 pages with tasks, projects, worries, and responsibilities swirling in her mind. By the end of the exercise, she looked at the massive pile of papers and said, "Jason, looking at that pile of what's on my mind, I think I know now why I feel so stressed!" This moment of clarity became her turning point. She realized that carrying all these mental burdens was draining her energy and focus, making even simple decisions feel overwhelming. The solution wasn't to tackle all 500 items at once, but to create a system for managing them strategically. Jason helped her implement the "Four MITs" approach – identifying just four Most Important Things each day that would move her mission forward. She learned to distinguish between urgent and important, between activities that drained her energy and those that amplified it. Start by conducting your own mental inventory. Set aside fifteen minutes and write down everything competing for your attention. Don't organize or prioritize – just capture it all. Then, identify patterns: What tasks energize you? What activities drain you unnecessarily? Which items could be delegated, automated, or eliminated entirely? Remember, working smarter isn't about doing more – it's about doing the right things with greater intention and less friction. When you align your daily actions with your core strengths and priorities, you'll find that productivity flows naturally.
Think Bigger: Build Networks and Purpose
Thinking bigger requires expanding your perspective beyond individual effort to embrace the power of connection and clarity of purpose. It's about understanding that your network is your net worth, and your "why" is your compass. Consider the story of Jason's underwater photograph in Maui. He thought he was in decent shape until he saw that picture of himself snorkeling – the camera captured a reality he hadn't been willing to face. That single image provided instant, undeniable feedback that changed his entire approach to fitness and health. It wasn't the photograph itself that created change, but his willingness to see clearly and act on what he discovered. This moment illustrates a crucial principle: feedback becomes powerful when combined with a support network that encourages growth. Jason didn't just decide to get fit in isolation – he surrounded himself with people who shared his commitment to health. He joined training groups, found accountability partners, and immersed himself in environments where his new goals were normalized and supported. The same principle applies to any area where you want to expand your impact. If you want to think bigger about your career, spend time with people who are operating at the level you aspire to reach. If you want to think bigger about your creative projects, join communities of practitioners who are pushing boundaries. If you want to think bigger about your leadership, seek mentors who embody the qualities you want to develop. Create your own "Team You" by mapping the five to ten people who care most about your success and want to see you grow. These aren't just cheerleaders – they're people who will challenge you, offer honest feedback, and connect you with opportunities and resources you couldn't access alone. Equally important is clarifying your "so that" statement – the deeper purpose that drives your efforts. When you know why you're working to improve, the how becomes much clearer, and the inevitable obstacles become temporary challenges rather than permanent barriers.
Make More: Focus and Practice Excellence
Making more isn't about working additional hours or taking on extra projects – it's about creating exponential returns through focused practice and intentional skill development. This requires both laser focus and the discipline to practice fundamentals consistently. The story of Jason's client who tracked interruptions reveals the hidden cost of scattered attention. This architect discovered that one team member alone had interrupted him 27 times in just two days. Each interruption seemed minor – just a quick question or brief update – but the cumulative effect was devastating to his ability to engage in deep, creative work. When they calculated the true impact, they realized that these "quick interruptions" were consuming hours of productive time daily, not just in the moments of interruption but in the mental energy required to refocus afterward. This awareness became the catalyst for dramatic change. The client implemented systems to batch similar requests, created designated focus periods, and established clear communication protocols with his team. The transformation was remarkable. Within weeks, he was completing projects faster and with higher quality. More importantly, he rediscovered his love for the creative aspects of architecture that had originally drawn him to the profession. By protecting his focus, he was able to operate in what athletes call "the zone" – that state of effortless concentration where your best work emerges naturally. This principle extends beyond managing interruptions to every aspect of skill development. Excellence comes from practicing fundamental skills until they become second nature, then building increasingly sophisticated capabilities on that foundation. Start by identifying one area where focused improvement could create disproportionate returns. Commit to practicing that skill daily for just fifteen minutes – roughly one percent of your day. Track your progress objectively, seek feedback regularly, and adjust your approach based on what you learn. Remember, practice doesn't make perfect; practice makes comfortable, and comfort enables performance.
Summary
The path to making your best even better isn't found in revolutionary changes or heroic efforts – it's built through small, consistent improvements that compound over time. As Jason discovered through his own journey and witnessed in countless clients, transformation happens when you align your daily actions with your deepest purposes, surround yourself with people who elevate your thinking, and commit to practicing excellence in the fundamentals that matter most. "I am productive when I do what I said I would do in the time that I promised" – this simple definition becomes the foundation for extraordinary results. Your next level of performance isn't waiting for someday when conditions are perfect; it's available right now, in this moment, through the choice to just get started. Pick one small practice from what you've learned, commit to it for the next five days, and watch as your best begins to get even better.
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By Jason W. Womack
